A Reason to Dream and to Destroy
by Wikki
Summary: Donquixote Doflamingo;a cunning, successful, rude, and dream-crushing shichibukai. But, was he always this way? Can he ever change back to the way he used to be? Doflamingo OCS. Rated for later chapters. Constructive critisism/reviews wished!
1. A Reason to Destroy

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Doflamingo (*cries*) but Dominic was my made up character, and so was the scenario. Quote found from the One Piece Wikia. (Tee hee)

Read, review and enjoy!

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"_The time is almost here. Go and lay the groundwork. A world, where only true pirates can survive will soon be upon us. Those without power, flee while you can. The tide will bring those of unmatched power and the New Era will begin!_ "– Donquixote Doflamingo

He got out of bed, and ruffled his short-cut blonde hair. Stretching and still yawning, he grabbed a voluminous pink coat, and headed into the bathroom.

The bathroom was pristine and sparkling everywhere. There was a grand bathtub made of white marble that was intricately carved and decorated. Two shining silver faucets dipped into the basin, with a bar of light rose soap daintily placed on the rim on a glistening silver dish. The bath was enclosed in sheer shower curtains which draped luxuriously from the ceiling, patterned with cherry blossoms. Just the bath was fit for royalty.

The man reached over the rim of the bath, turning the faultless faucet handles, thus releasing translucent warm water. Resting in the tub, the man sighed contently, and stared at the dangling diamond chandelier light fixture above, the numerous draping tassels reflecting the light on the marble walls, creating dancing shimmers of light. All this plus the wafting aroma of rosebuds and vanilla would set a very pleasant mood, until a loud rapping on the door tore the man from his thoughts, and shattering the contented silence.

"Doflamingo-sama!" A young man called out from behind the door.

"Doflamingo-sama! You have received a letter from the marines; it's a highly important shichibukai meeting notice!"

Doflamingo grunted in annoyed acknowledgement, and hissed out, "This couldn't wait 15 minutes? Now I'll send you off with a warning, only because I'm in a good mood, but screw up once again, and I'll send you off without an arm, which you can gladly cut off yourself…willingly or not. Fufufufu." he chuckled.

"Oh!" stammered the messenger, obviously flustered and afraid. "Doflamingo-sama, deepest regrets! I'll… err… leave the letter on your bed." And the man scampered off, attempting to avoid Doflamingo's wrath.

Doflamingo chuckled to himself. He loved crushing others; it proved his power, and made sure no one questioned him or his views, not now…

and definitely not again…

_-20 years previously-_

A young eager boy of eight ran out of his modest home on a bright, sunny, Midsummer Day. Running outside down the walkway to the fence, he sat anxiously upon one of the fence poles cross-legged, leaning forward, as if awaiting someone. Soon enough, a tall, slender, slightly-tanned blonde man came walking up the road, grinning widely with his tongue cocked out of the side of his smile. The man had a light purple collared shirt on, with long sleeves despite the midday heat. He also wore tight white pants, adorned with sequins along the ankle cuffs and the pocket lining. Donquixote Dominic was Doflamingo's father, a blissful man with off-beat clothing styles.

"Fall will be right around the corner son!" He said as he approached the excited boy. "How about we get you a new warm jacket with my new paycheck?"

"Yes dad!" Doflamingo cried out, leaping off the edge of the fence and racing down the road into town.

They entered three various clothing stores, and had no luck in appealing the quirky child. Nothing seemed to pique his interest. Nothing, until they entered a smaller shop. It was a bit dingy and was filled with exotic fashions. It obviously wasn't entered often, and the shop keeper nonchalantly sat by the sales counter, absorbed in a hefty novella. It was in this odd store when Doflamingo saw his destined coat; ruffled and flaming pink with layers of tiered feathers that were ornamented all over the jacket. It was warm and a tad large width-wide and a bit small length wise for the lanky boy, yet he loved it. His father, an accepting man of odd tastes happily purchased the coat to appease his son's wishes. The sales man eyed the youth as Doflamingo proceeded to pull on the coat.

"Son, it's darn hot and bright out there; the sun is painful in this blazing heat! Don't put that on now!"

Doflamingo, a crafty youth did not wish to adhere to the advice presented to him, for the coat was just too spectacular to fret over the weather, so he replied,

"I'll just wear sunglasses then. Then, as long as I wear my sunglasses, I can wear my coat whenever I want!" He grinned widely, sticking out his tongue for this new-found loophole.

"Fufufufu…" Dominic chuckled as the shopkeeper sighed and returned to his book. Dominic placed his hand on Doflamingo's shoulder.

"Nice choice son! I have to run to the market and shop for something to eat tonight, but you can hang around town and have some fun. Just be back home by five."

"Okay dad!" Doflamingo replied as he bounced out of the store, in all of his childhood innocence.

Strutting down the street, weaving through shoppers, families returning home for dinner and children running around, he came across a group of boys around his own age. At the sight of his, well… characteristic clothing, they scoffed and laughed. Of course (as little boys do) they began to run at Doflamingo trying to damage his coat. They threw cobblestones from the street and scratched his skin with twigs, yelled things, then hit and kicked him. Doflamingo was tall for eight, but his skinniness made him vulnerable. Their beating hurt psychically and emotionally, and all he could do was cradle his coat in his arms, hoping they wouldn't get their evil claws upon it. He began to cry in his terror of what to do. He didn't understand why the boys were hurting him and laughing at him. Doflamingo was proud of his new coat, why were the other children not? One bigger child kicked Doflamingo quite forcefully behind the shins, almost breaking his legs. This kick caused the legs to actually bend, not to the breaking point, but to a point where his walk was altered; he walked almost bow-legged, legs extending sideways instead of forward. This physical affliction would affect him forever.

As Dominic was returning home from shopping, he saw the mob of children upon his son, and rushed over to help him. He grabbed a bawling, bleeding boy and carried him home, trying to be as verbally comforting as possible. Hours later, after cuts and scrapes had been washed and bandaged, and bruises were lightly kissed, Doflamingo came downstairs in pajamas and his coat for dinner. The meal was silent. Doflamingo sat there, buried in his thoughts. He was angry as never before and began to contemplate a plan of revenge.

As Doflamingo grew up, he never abandoned his coat. He never abandoned his distrust and hatred for others either. He devolved into a smart, scheming young man, much more powerful than before, physically and emotionally. He resolved to never let anyone see him weak again, no matter what he had to accomplish to get to that point.

That was twenty years ago. That resolve twenty years previously turned the quirky and defenseless child into a powerful, cunning shichibukai. He had attained a devil fruit power shortly after becoming a pirate, which eventually led to his promotion as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. He had accumulated an abundance of wealth and power, always keeping his resolve firmly in mind and heart. Even when his own subordinates and crewmates failed or showed weakness, he had no patience for such failure. He refused to return to that vulnerable state he was at age eight. Even if it meant crushing hopes and dreams, he would do anything to make sure no one would ever cause him to falter again.

Drying off from the previously-peaceful bath, Doflamingo placed on his feathery coat -- a much bigger one of course—and walked into his bedroom. Reading the letter of urgency from the marines, he realized he would in fact go to assist the World Government to defeat the Whitebeard Pirates. After all, he wasn't going to be fighting for the shichibukai or marines, he was fighting for himself. This personal fight would be to show the world that Donquixote Doflamingo is powerful, and able to take on whatever threatens or falters his strength. He assumed that much of course, only because he hadn't met **her** yet.

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1st OP fan fic! I LOVE Doflamingo despite his bad first impression… and his bad second impression… and third… XD. I just know he can't be that bad a person though… so I decided to make a little background on him. A bit of foreshadowing for possible future chapters… constructive criticism and reviews welcomed (and if people want more to come, I'll be happy to oblige, but if no one finds it that promising, I'll continue to work on other ideas)

Sorry if there are things that need editing; I'm ½ asleep here… ahaha. I tried though! Feel free to point anything out to me!

Thanks so much!

---Wikki


	2. The Arrival and Appeal

CHAPTER TWO!

Sorry this took so long to update everyone; school literally took over, but now I honestly plan on frequent updates ;D I hope you enjoy the continuation! More OC characters (since Dolfa's possible crew is unknown, so I'm making this up as I go along. If more is revealed, I may change it. If you catch the name connections, feel free to point it out. If anyone can recognize the origins, ill be extremely happy :)

ALSO! Might contain spoilers if you are not up-to-date in the manga.

Read and Review, especially if you have suggestions for improvement/later chapters. I really enjoyed the helpful and encouraging reviews so far, so thanks guys!

---Wikki

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Doflamingo picked up the white letter with the blue seagull logo imprinted across the top and exited his room. Going into the lavishly-decorated hallway, he picked up his den-den mushi and rang for Heyoka.

"Heyoka, prepare the ship and some crew. We need to head off to World Government Headquarters. I'm expecting to leave in thirty minutes. If your not prepared... well then, you better quickly prepare yourself for consequences... fufufu" Chuckled Doflamingo.

"Of course Doflamingo-san. We'll be ready in a minute." Coolly replied Heyoka, accustomed to his Captain's rude attitude and quick-decision making.

As the conversation came to a close, Doflamingo re-read the letter from the World Government. "Fighting the whitebeard pirates." He thought. In all honesty, even Doflamingo was a bit surprised at the feat the World Government was going to attempt. He, himself, was not concerned. No opponent no matter what level of physical strength would be a problem, but nonetheless, he knew that if he was faced with Whitebeard himself, even he would not be able to perfectly calculate the outcome. But, he knew what he must do, and by burying his worries and sweeping his discomforts aside, he exited his grand mansion on his hidden "relaxation" island (as he liked to refer to it as), and prepared to enter his ship.

Doflamingo walked up the steep wooden ramp to his ship. The sturdy vessel, of course, matched his unique, luxurious and flamboyant style. Sauntering across varnished decks of deep chocolate mahogany, he walked up to the front deck, gazing across the open expanse of sparkling cobalt sea. The ship walls were lined with a thin layer of white marble, which also matched the pots of the scattered potted pink geraniums placed across the deck. Various crewmembers dashed around the deck in uniform attire of white suits with Doflamingo's pink smile logo printed across the back. White pants, black shining shoes and the finishing touch of a pink ascot tie completed the sailor's outfits. They scurried around, preparing the sails, sweeping the floor, double-checking the log pose and various other crew-man duties. Doflamingo did not care as long as he got to headquarters safely and rapidly. Catching the eye of Heyoka, who, by rank, was permitted not to follow uniform, he nodded and headed off toward the captain's cabin.

Shortly after reclining into an over-stuffed rose-colored barrel chair, the ship began to depart and move. He stared out of the bay windows lining his cabin where someone has conveniently drawn back the sheer cream curtains. The midday-sun was burning brightly on this cloudless day, causing the water to sparkle and dance in the rays of light. Doflamingo couldn't help but crack a closed-mouth smile at the serene sight. He soon became lost in his thoughts, which a light rapping at the intricately-carved wooden door shifted them away as he rose to open the door.

A young red-headed female entered, in a hot pink skin-tight dress that barely covered the thighs and lace-up white boots, with a white headband with pink polka dots. But, at the moment, none of this interested Doflamingo. What did interest him was the silver tray she was carrying with a chilled bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, and a small dish of pink pillow mints; no over-seas voyage would be complete without his edible tools of relaxation. He smiled a full smile now, and sat down at his large desk, while she served him wine and mints. After he took a sip, she opened her mouth to speak (No one dared to bother the captain before he received his wine and mints)

"Captain." She started in a small voice, obviously unsure over how he would take the news.

"Yes?" He responded, looking up at her.

"A Marine vessel is seen approaching. They say that you must be escorted onto their ship because the gates of justice will not open for our ship. You must enter headquarters via their provided transportation." Her eyes dared not look at his; for fear that he would become annoyed at the news, and attempt to harm her.

Doflamingo rolled his eyes. It was bad enough getting him out of his home to assist them for a fight he really didn't wish to participate in, but now stealing him from the comforts of his own ship? Luckily, his treats presented to him (very intelligently) moments before put him into an agreeable mood, so he replied with a simple and short, "Whatever."

"Ahh." She sighed, quite relieved that Doflamingo would not be putting up a hassle for this newly presented information. "The ship should arrive next to ours in approximately fifteen minutes. Thank you Doflamingo-san for your time." And she slipped out of the room.

Doflamingo downed his glass, and took a handful of mints and stuffed them in his mouth. While swallowing, he got up and turned to the window with the grand ocean view and gazed out upon the shimmering sea before turning and heading onto the main deck.

Shortly after arriving on deck and having two young crewmembers fight each other (against their will, yet no one dared complain) with various cutleries because their ascots were not straight, a looming marine vessel approached the side of his ship. Doflamingo strutted over to the side of his ship towards the Marine vessel and sat cross-legged on the rail. As both ships slowed to a halt, he grinned a toothy (and cheeky) smile toward the Marine commander walking toward him.

"Shichibukai Doflamingo-sama!" He said loudly and officially. "A ramp will be attached from our two ships to ensure your safety across the thin strip of ocean between our boats. Please make sure--"

He was cut off when an outbreak broke out among his crew as two crewmates began to strangle one another, causing quite a bit of pandemonium. The commander turned to his men in shock as screaming and fist-flailing broke out, destroying the uniform ranks of men that had assembled there.

"Doflamingo-sama! What... please...stop!" the commander tried to choke out in shock.

"Listen curly-q." Started Doflamingo, causing the commander to nervously finger his voluminous black mustache. "Stop talking, your making my head hurt."

In an instant, Doflamingo jumped up and onto the deck on the Marine vessel, ending the fight between the two marines, and causing the commander to turn around in fright.

"I can tell you're new to your rank. If you want to keep your new rank, and pretty much keep your life, let me be and sail to headquarters as fast as possible. You better have some good sake on board and some good-looking women too, or prepare for hell on earth."

The commander, in complete awe that the shichibukai could tell that he WAS in fact new to his position shocked him, and completely forgetting the instructions that Sengoku had drilled into him about 'keeping your cool' and 'not giving in', he scampered across to the front of the ship, and ordered everyone to set sail.

Doflamingo chuckled to himself. Scanning the deck, he realized a recliner had been placed on the deck with a large umbrella and small side table with various food and drink placed on it, so he walked over and plopped onto the chair, making himself as comfortable as possible. With the cool ocean spray from the gently rocking waves and the beaming sun, he soon found himself sound asleep.

He awoke later to the pattering of feet, and as he turned, he saw the marines had lined up in ranks, leaving an aisle open for him to exit the ship, onto the solid, green land of headquarters. He sat up with a grunt, and without a gesture of recognition, he exited the ship, and walked forward into the towering building straight ahead, pink feather jacket ruffling in the breeze.

Upon entering the entrance hall, he wrinkled his nose. The room smelled like cleaning products, then like someone tried to mask the smell with a faint scent of vanilla. And then, there was an overlying scent of... justice. Yet those smells didn't bother him--much. The smell that made him turn around was the smell of a musky cologne, one known to be worn by one person he was surprised to see (well... smell) here.

"Mihawk" He called out, glancing sidelong to the swordsman, who flashed his eyes in Doflamingo's direction in recognition, then continued walking forward. Doflamingo chuckled and walked side-by-side with the swordsman, who said nothing, but Doflamingo knew that it annoyed him by the slight twitch of his left eyebrow. He chuckled again at already succeeding in annoying his supposed 'allies' and continued to walk with Mihawk into the grand meeting room where some shichibukai and some marines had already gathered.

In this room was a huge glass table, fit to seat 30. He was accustomed to seeing this table for meetings, but now it was filled with numerous assortments of colorful food and drink. Doflamingo walked over to the table, shifted some plated over, and sat down on top of the surface. A small grunt of disgust made him turn his head, and grin, at Sengoku, who was seated across from Doflamingo.

"Thank you for attending, scum of the sea." he sneered, not even bothering to hide his disgust.

"Thanks for inviting me, annoying and old." Smoothly replied Doflamingo, as he picked up a chicken leg.

As Doflamingo chomped down on the leg, he looked around the room to see who else attended. Kuma was seated at the table, nibbling on some cheese and crackers, and reading the bible. "Weird as always" Doflamingo thought, and his attention was drawn elsewhere. Mihawk was asleep at the end of the table, hat tipped down, masking his face.

Various high-ranking marines also dotted along the seats, but he didn't care for any of them. Sengoku was at the head. Looking tired, edgy, and anxious all at the same time, and Doflamingo smiled to himself for being to keep his cool in such a situation; a situation that Sengoku was failing quite wonderfully at. Yet, even all this bored him. What made Doflamingo drop the chicken leg and stare quite intently was a young woman to the side, pouring wine for the possibly-sleeping Mihawk.

She was in serving-woman attire; marine style. Her outfit was white and blue, with a blue scarf tying her black curly hair back into a waterfall of shiny black ringlets. Her skin was dark tanned, and her eyes an exotic stunning silver, almost piercing. The skirt she was wearing revealed well developed legs and thighs; much too muscularly-developed for a regular serving woman he thought, and though she was generally petite (though sporting a small bit of a tummy) with examination, it was clear to see that she was in fact muscular all over. What also made him doubt her serving-girl role was the scar that swirled halfway down her left leg. As his interest was piqued, he decided to play around with her, and see how she would react. As he lifted his hand to use his devil power, her unnatural silver eyes flashed toward him, sending shivers down his spine and causing his arm to fall.

"What strong spirit." He thought. It was obvious that this girl was no ordinary serving-girl, and was quite powerful, though she was trying to conceal it.

Right at that moment, Doflamingo's resolve changed, and instead of wishing to annoy everyone to death in the room, he wanted to learn more about the mysterious exotic beauty in the room. What was she concealing? And why was she so appealing?

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EEEE! HORRIBLE ENDING! I'm sorry if the woman seems Mary-Sueish now; actual description/introduction comes in next chapter

Problem is, I started writing the next chapter before this one, so I had to end at a point where you could understand what was going on... hahaha :)

Hope you enjoyed. The main plot will be unfolded quite soon.

Hope you enjoyed

---Wikki


	3. The Way of the Warrior

(Edited version) By the way, as we all know, I do not own one piece, and some of the characters were made up to fit the storyline (such as Vice-Admiral Maxwell) Hope you enjoy!

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More high-ranking marines began entering the room, filling chairs and chattering amongst themselves about business, home life, and other uninteresting topics. After filling some more glasses, the girl stood against a far wall with the rest of the serving staff, who would wait until someone needed more food or drink. People continuously entered, causing the noise level in the room to rise. Doflamingo didn't bother himself with any of this. He just sat on the table, ate, and listened to snippets of conversations. Suddenly, a loud crash caused the room to fall silent.

A commotion could be heard in the hallway, causing Mihawk to wake up and Sengoku to shift his gaze. Following another loud crash, the doors boomed open to reveal a burly, big, and brute of a man. Sengoku stood up. Everyone eyed this man curiously.

"Welcome, new Shichibukai, Blackbeard. Please sit down. We must wait for all other officers and Shichibukai to arrive and then the meeting will commence." He sat down, immediately turning his attention away from Blackbeard.

Blackbeard grinned, and sat near Doflamingo, picking up a chicken leg in the process. Doflamingo eyed the new character.

_ So this is the man that caused all of this; the captor of Portgas D Ace. _

This man didn't appear that threatening. He was just big, and ate quite a bit. Moria (who arrived shortly after the new Shichibukai) and Blackbeard struck up an interesting conversation that Doflamingo was intently listening in on, until his attention was diverted by something else. The girl had returned to re-fill drinks.

"Oi! Serving girl! Come here!" Blackbeard called out. She had caught the attention of the other men. Moria cackled a bit, and even Kuma glanced over.

"You don't look nearly old enough to work here!" Blackbeard laughed. "What's your name sweetie?" He flashed a smile. Doflamingo immediately felt angered. Whether this was fueled by jealousy, or just was a random protective impulse, he didn't even know.

"Colette." She said simply, and bowed in respect.

Moria and Blackbeard exchanged grins.

"Come closer, dear Colette," Moria cooed as Blackbeard reached out a hand to pull her closer.

The reflexes were instant. One second Blackbeard's pudgy fingers were extended for the girl's waist, and the next they were clutched to his chest, smarting, and Blackbeard was muttering curses. The girls kick was fast, like a crack of lighting. Doflamingo's jaw dropped slightly before he quickly regained his composure.

"I'm here to serve you food and drink," She replied coolly. "That is all. If you have no other demands, I shall leave. Please signal to us if you need assistance again." And with that, she turned and left to join the rest of the servers near the far wall. Doflamingo looked around. No one else seemed to notice what had occurred, except for Mihawk. He was staring at the girl intently. He then shifted his gaze toward Doflamingo. He saw it too. Though her kick was quick, Doflamingo could pick up a small tattoo by her inner thigh, thanks to the ridiculous Marine attire. A yin-yang of two dragons was etched on her inner left thigh. The symbol of the Yong warriors.

_---20 years previously---_

"Catherine-san! Catherine -san!" called out Doflamingo as he ran into the library.

"Shh!" Someone called out, and Doflamingo fell silent. Suddenly, two strong hands picked him up from his sides and brought the boy outside. Doflamingo turned to see the friendly face of Andrew, Catherine's husband. Andrew laughed and flashed his affable smile before starting,

"Cat's working now Dolfa! Come with me back to the tavern; she'll be home soon and you can talk to her then."

Doflamingo pouted, crossing his arms (which was difficult to do due to the thickness of his coat sleeves.)

"But I brought her some Gerber daisies! Her favorite!" He swung his arm forward, revealing three sorry-looking almost-dead daisies. Andrew just smiled and laughed again.

"She'll love them. Let's go back to the tavern and put them in a vase for when she comes home. You thirsty?"

"Yup!" Doflamingo happily replied, and reached out for Andrew's hand. Both of them walked hand in hand back to the Blackberry Tavern.

The Blackberry tavern was owned by Andrew, a good-looking middle aged man with sweeping blonde hair and freckles. He had the warmest smile, and was always so pleasant to the younger children, that kids loved to play near his tavern in the daytime. Andrew would sometimes bring out free juice for them. He didn't allow children to hang near there at night though, because the village was a port village, and sometimes dangerous pirates, bounty hunters or marines would rest there. Andrew was married to the librarian, Catherine. Cat, as the villagers called her, was head librarian and was one of the brightest bulbs in the village. She was short and very curvy, with pin-straight brown hair, and numerous freckles, just like her husband. The couple was friends with Dominic from school, and Doflamingo often stayed at the tavern overnight if Dominic traveled for business. Andrew made great food and Catherine always read him the best bedtime stories. They were like family to him, and he loved them.

At the tavern, Andrew let Doflamingo pick out a vase to put the wilting daisies in. Doflamingo chose a green vase. The flowers were put on the bar counter, and Doflamingo was given a picture book and a cup of pomegranate juice. Doflamingo was enwrapped in the book and didn't notice when Cat entered the tavern and came up behind him, giving him a huge hug and a kiss on the forehead. He turned and smiled.

"Catherine! I got your flowers!" He shouted, and pointed to the three flowers in the vase. Cat cooed and ran to the vase, picking it up and inhaling the scent.

"Thank you so much my dear Dofla!" She smiled a warm smile. "You hungry?"

"Nope! My dad told me to be home for dinner today!" he replied and grinned, hopping off the barstool. "Thank you though! Don't forget, tomorrow you promised to teach me to horseback ride with Andrew and dad!"

Cat laughed as Andrew walked in laughing, and ruffling Doflamingo's hair.

"Of course sport!" Andrew said, as he put on his coat to walk Doflamingo home.

Catherine smiled and went into the kitchen to start cooking for the tavern's guests and preparing for dinner. It was a Friday night, and numerous people enjoyed eating out right before the weekend. Andrew walked with Doflamingo to the door. Right before reaching them, the door burst open as marines with armed rifles came storming in. Quick as an instant, Andrew pushed Doflamingo into the corner, away from the marines. A single marine walked up and said,

"Andrew and Catherine work here?"

"Yes." Andrew replied coldly. Doflamingo, sprawled on the floor, had never seen Andrew without a smile and stayed quiet.

"You are both under arrest to be executed under World Government orders." As soon as the sentence was finished, Catherine appeared out of nowhere and landed a kick to the temple of the marine. The marine went crashing to the floor, unconscious. Before the armed marines could react, Andrew's knee made contact with the chin with one, knocking the marine out and stealing his weapon. Wielding the gun like a staff, he swung it over his shoulder and struck down two more marines. Doflamingo had never seen such agility or fighting strength and was in awe.

"STOP!" A Marine cried out. Doflamingo looked up to see a bayonet pointed at his head. He cried out in shock.

Catherine gasped. "No! Don't!" She cried. Andrew stood there, unmoving.

"Come with us and the boy wont die." The marine said. Doflamingo looked back up, realizing he was going to be shot. He whimpered, unable to do anything.

Catherine walked forward. All the marine rifles were instantly pointed at her. She placed out her arms, and then Andrew followed suit. Sea stone handcuffs were placed on both, and they were dragged out of the tavern.

The marine with a rifle pointed at Doflamingo's head lowered it. He looked at the child and scoffed, then kicked him hard, sending Doflamingo reeling into the wooden wall. Doflamingo fell unconscious.

Later, Doflamingo woke up to tears falling down his face. He opened his eyes and looked up to see he was in his fathers arms. He turned to see what his father was looking at. A crowd had gathered as Cat and Andrew were being dragged onto a marine ship. Thick collars were on both. Doflamingo didn't understand what was happening. People around him were screaming, crying, yelling. Cat and Andrew were silent and solemn. Before they both boarded the ship, they turned toward each other and did something that caused the assembled crowd to gasp and cry out. They each hit each other's collars, and a beeping began. People instantly moved away from Cat and Andrew like they were diseased. Even Dominic moved back a good distance. Within an instant, the collars exploded, leaving two bloody, headless bodies to fall and crumple on the sandy shore. More people screamed and cried. Doflamingo couldn't do anything. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry. He couldn't understand. He wanted to run toward Cat and Andrew, and hug them both. He wanted Cat to read him a story about other worlds and adventures and he wanted Andrew to lift him on his shoulders and run him down the street, both laughing as loud as they could. But all that lay there was two bodies, soaked in blood, entrails and organs splattered along the sand.

Dominic picked up Doflamingo and turned. He ran away from the scene, and didn't stop running until he reached their house. He locked the door, threw his coat on the floor, lay on the couch, and sat. Doflamingo sat down next to him, hugging his father's waist, and cried. Eventually, Doflamingo fell asleep.

He woke up the next morning on the couch, the smell of eggs in the air. Dominic had set the table, and was sitting silently at his place, not saying a word. Doflamingo walked over and sat down across from him. So many things raced through his head at the moment, he didn't know what to do.

"Why?" He asked. It was all he could say.

Dominic handed him a slip of paper with something drawn on it. It was two dragons, one black and one white, in the shape of a Yin-yang.

"Andrew and Cat were former Yong warriors." He said. Seeing that Doflamingo did not understand, he continued. "Yong warriors come from a hidden island on the Grand Line. The people who live there are trained in combat, in various types of ancient martial arts. They live a strict code of honor, respect and diligence. All civilians there are fierce, smart and cunning. They are talented in a variety of trades, and are able to fight. Some are extremely powerful. They are extremely powerful masters of martial arts, weapons, and some have even mastered the ability to manipulate their haki."

Doflamingo stared at his father. He generally understood, and knew what haki was from one of the books Cat had read to him previously.

"The island rejected the World Government's invitation to become an allied nation fifty years ago, and therefore since then the World Government has declared it illegal to be a Yong warrior. Most have died out, but some have carried on through the generations, taking on other professions or becoming island protectorates. A couple famous ones are in the revolutionary army. For those who have continued the training though, if they are found out they will be brought to Impel Down to be questioned then killed. That is why they took Cat and Andrew. Both of them are former warriors. They decided to commit suicide so therefore no Yong Warrior secrets would be revealed."

Doflamingo sat in silence. He couldn't eat. He got up, returned to his room, and slept the rest of the day, hoping things would get better.

_----Present---_

The marking on the girl's thigh. He only saw it for a brief moment, but he recognized it immediately. It was the Yong Warrior marking. It would explain her build if she was in fact a trainee, but it didn't make sense because she was working for the government. Doflamingo looked back at Mihawk and past those exotic amber eyes; he could see a hint of confusion as well. Of course Mihawk would recognize the symbol too. Some of the best swordsmen are underground Yong Warriors. They made eye contact, and then both looked back at the girl. This time, she was looking back at then. Her cool composure was broken. It was very slight, but Doflamingo could pick up on her worry. Mihawk stood up, and left the room. Doflamingo did the same, a couple of seconds afterward. He met Mihawk in the corridor down the hallway. Both wanted to know the same thing. The men were silent. They could hear the dining hall's door open as small footsteps walked down the hall. They turned to their corridor. Both men looked up expectantly to see Colette looking back at them. She walked toward the men and stopped. She turned to each Shichibukai and bowed.

"Now gentlemen," She started. "What would you wish to know? May I advise you though that if you do anything…rash… I will be forced to take action."

Doflamingo felt it. A wave of killing intent. It wasn't Mihawk's. It was hers. Colette's. For the first time in a long time, he felt afraid.

Mihawk was first to break the silence.

"You are… a Yong Warrior?" He questioned.

Colette looked at both of them, as they stared back at her. You could tell she was unsure of how to respond or how much to reveal.

"Who's asking?" She replied smartly, thinking she had won the upper hand. Doflamingo was ready for this. He sent off a wave of haki, causing Mihawk to do the same. It caused her to waver.

"Um… to answer your previous question, yes. I am. What are you going to do now?" She stuttered.

Doflamingo smiled, and gestured to both Mihawk and Colette.

"Come with me." He said, and led them into a small, private conference room. The room had a high ceiling with a single chandelier. There was a large window looking out to the sea. Colette walked to the window and sat on the ledge, facing the ocean horizon; she then sighed and turned to the men, and stared at them expectantly.

Mihawk pulled a chair to face her on the ledge, and Doflamingo sat cross legged on the floor.

"Two of the people I loved the most were Yong Warriors." Doflamingo said.

"And, one of my swordsman instructors I had when I was first learning swords was a Yong Warrior as well," Added Mihawk. His cool gaze trained on her face. She couldn't bring herself to stare at him. In the room with the Marines was different, but she knew she could not fight them both at this point, so she had no choice to do what they said. Luckily, she did not sense any mal-intent from either, and she relaxed a bit. Doflamingo continued.

"Why are you here, so close to the people who wish to kill you?" Doflamingo said.

Colette hesitated. She was unsure what to reveal. Looking at the men and seeing she had no other option, she decided to talk.

"I'm searching for my father. All I have of him are letters he sent me, but he never left a name. He also occasionally sent me money and books, but I know nothing else about him besides the fact that he's a wanted criminal. My masters do not know his identity either, but I understand that if I can get into the Marine databases I can try to find some family history, and try to locate him. "

Both men were silent for a minute, before Doflamingo spoke up.

"Oh my. How tragically epic. Like a good novel. Fufufufu…" Doflamingo chuckled as Colette flustered.

"How dare you!" She flustered, trying to keep her cool composure but it was obvious she was failing miserably. "Don't you dare judge me!"

Mihawk smirked. Doflamingo just continued his odd laugh. Mihawk was the one to speak up next.

"Now, you've put us in quite the predicament. Now that we know this, what are we supposed to do? Stay loyal to the ones we have a contract with, or this random stranger who was threatening us just a minute ago?"

Worry flashed on Colette's face for just an instant, and then her expression hardened again. She was determined not to show weakness.

"Do you really think I'll let you leave if I believe your going to tell?" She growled menacingly. Mihawk smirked.

"My, what a brave warrior we have here, infiltrating the marines…threatening the shichibukai…" He began. At that instant, a spider decided to crawl up the side of the window, close to Colette's head. She turned, and seeing the spider within touching distance, she let out a blood-curdling scream and fell off the windowsill onto the floor with an ungraceful thud.

"…or perhaps not." And Doflamingo guffawed. Even Mihawk had trouble suppressing his chuckle.

Colette shook, her face flushed, and she stared at the floor. "Ugh." She groaned.

Mihawk smirked again. "The reason you're stuck here is because of Vice Admiral Maxwell, correct?"

Colette stared at him in astonishment. "How did you know?"

"Vice Admiral Maxwell is a zoan-type devil fruit user. He lives on premises and guards specifically the databases and information center. And, his zoan type is the centipede. Seeing your phobia of insects, I'll say you are in a very big predicament. Maybe even bigger than ours." And then he grinned.

Doflamingo guffawed.

"I like you girl!" he cried out, and stood up. "Strong, smart…and beautiful (he winked, causing Colette to frown) and plain silly. Join me. I'll help you. We have a little less than a week before the war with Whitebeard. Join my crew and I'll help you into the databases, and then help you look for your father. We just can't leave until the war is done."

Colette scoffed. "You actually expect to win this war?"

Mihawk then stood up also, as both men prepared to depart.

"Do you actually expect us to loose?" Mihawk coolly retorted, and he turned to leave the room.

Doflamingo smiled at her with his crazy trademark grin, and left, only pausing once to say, "Think about it." and then he was gone.

Colette rose up off the floor, dusting off her clothes and rubbing at the bruise that was bound to form soon on her arm. Realizing she was supposed to be serving the shichibukai, she ran toward the serving hall, trying to figure out how to proceed now that two very dangerous men knew her secret. Joining Doflamingo would be an amazing advantage for her, yet her intense phobia of insects was not the only thing that held her back. She had horrible anemia, a terrible fear of corpses, and though she had good balance when she was focused and in battle mode, she could be ludicrously clumsy. She shook her head to try to clear her thoughts, and rushed into the dining hall, back to the hubbub between the marines and quarreling shichibukai.

* * *

EEEP! This is looooong overdue I'm so sorry! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as Colette, our protagonist is introduced! this chapter is a long one… :/ If you find any edits or suggestions for improvement please point it out to me! And I promise the next chapter will be soon; I've already started!

Reviews are really welcome for this, just to see how people feel about the story. Should I continue, or should I move on to new categories? Also, I need some ideas. Colette has two best friends that are also martial artists. Anyone have an unique or interesting martial art/ weapon that wants to be featured?

Also if you were confused:

Yong: Korean for the powerful sky dragon.

Thanks so much! Please read, review and enjoy!

----Wikki


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